


The return

by sunnysideup



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-03
Updated: 2012-05-03
Packaged: 2017-11-04 19:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/397200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnysideup/pseuds/sunnysideup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The impact of a shocking event from 6 years lives on.  How do they keep going, how do lives change? (sorry, am so bad at summaries).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The return - part 1

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers really except if you've not watched any of season 2 for the mention of one relationship. A little bit of swearing,

6 years have passed,6 years of change, some good, some bad. She feels superglued to the hotel bed and all the bravado has disappeared. She reaches for her purse and searches for the push that will get her off the bed. She finds it and she smiles through the sudden tears. Suddenly she feels embarrassed and shakes herself. Standing up she straightens out the dress and inspects herself in the mirror. The faintest trace of the tears are there if you look close enough so she's grateful for the sunglasses she puts on, picking up her purse and heading for the door, she slams it behind her.

* * *

He nods at the familiar face at Security and shoves his passport back into his jacket pocket. He's just got hand luggage today, a small case just enough room to fit what he needs. It's not been that long since he's been but suddenly everything's changed. He hears his voice being called and looks behind him, in that much of a daze he'd forgotten her, the smaller hand reaches for his and squeezes it reassuringly. The prickly feel in his eyes is one he manfully tries to ignore as they leave the terminal building. He hears his name called and musters up a smile.

* * *

He has a headache, a massive crazy headache and as he opens one eye then shuts it quickly again as he realises the hangover from hell is here, he realises two things. 1. He's still in clothes from the day before and 2. The nausea isn't necessarily alcohol linked. He takes a breath and heaves himself up from the bed, no wait, the couch. Figures. He collides with the table in front of him and the picture frame falls off and crashes to the ground. He's reluctant to pick it up but he does and there's a jolt in his heart as he sees the faces in front of him.

He's about to head for the shower when he hears the knocking so he looks at his watch. Jeez, he really did sleep in late. He daren't look in the mirror so he heads for the door, plastering that fake smile he's carried so well for these past 6 years and opens it.

 

_6 years earlier_

'Are you seriously telling me you don't dig these?' Danny's pointing at his shiny jeans, and his even shinier shoes as the people he pretty well loves more than any others except for Gracie and yeah, Rachel for his sins, in the world laugh at him.

He really thinks he needs to buy them all a new pair of eyes or get himself a new mirror perhaps whenever he goes shopping as the sight that greeted him on the way out the door promised him bountiful supplies of adoring women falling at his feet and gasps of admiration from at least Kono.

But most of all, he's glad they're all there, in one piece and laughing, even if it at his expense.

It's fair to say that the last few months have been hell on earth. It's pretty impressive and pretty scary that each one of them has spent some time in the local hospital in that few months. Even more so, that two of them had to be resuscitated and even more so that no one else looking at them now would even know it. Aside from the fact that Steve's not stood for more than 2 minutes if he's been able to help it and is now looking a little grey under the gills and that Chin has a discreet little stick he uses for distances more than a few minutes away. Nah, they're all peachy.

The opportunity to spend this evening in each other's company is precious especially now that all bad guys are either six feet under or spending a long time in prison especially since Kono and Steve testified in court today.

'The guys in the graveyard don't dig those jeans and they died 30 years ago Danno' They all fall about laughing at Steve's joke and he can't help but join in, it's infectious and so good.

Chin looks at them all 'Time for a toast to the best ohana money can buy' he announces.

'We need a drink first Cuz' Kono gulps her cocktail swiftly as she points at the other empty glasses and so Chin heads to the bar to order some more.

Danny catches Steve's eye and he looks tired suddenly. 'You okay?' Steve nods and smiles but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. 'One last drink, babe and then it's home for you'.

The smile this time is genuine. 'Yes mom' .

Chin's back within moments and so they toast 'Here's to us, the best damn team in the world' And they then repeat it together. Then Kono gets her cell out and corrals a guy behind her to take a picture.

It's about twenty minutes later and it's Chin who catches Steve yawning and almost falling off his stool in tiredness.

'Okay, sleepy head, hey Danny, time to call it a night I think' he says thumbing in the direction of Steve who suddenly makes a big show of being completely wide awake.

Steve springs off the stool. 'Gimme me 5 minutes' and he heads off in the direction of the toilet.

Danny's not really sure at what point he should become concerned about the time it takes for a grown man to go to and from the toilet but given it's been 10 minutes and there's still no sign of him and Chin and Kono's patience seems to be wearing thin too, he heads off to find him and probably wake him up. He considers for a moment borrowing Kono's cell to take the photo of all photos but he's suddenly tired and just wants to be home.

He pushes the door open and finds it deserted. 'Okay, super seal, where ya hiding? Wakey wakey'. Nothing. So he does something he's not done since his early days in High School and bends down to look for a pair of legs in each cubicle. Still nothing. But now the tiredness is gone. He looks around him confused, perhaps Steve was that tired and confused he left without saying goodbye and got a cab. It'd be out of character yeah, but not completely unlikely.

He pulls his own cell from his pocket and dials and immediately he hears the familiar tone of Steve's phone in the same room. He kicks open each cubicle door and at the sight of the second to last one, he's aware enough of a couple of guys entering to bark out 'HPD, LEAVE!' just as he ends the connection and dials the next number down on his speed dial. 'We got trouble' is all he says as he bends down to stare first at the phone which is cracked on the front and then looks up at the walls of the cubicle covered in blood. It's fair to say this day has gone to hell.

_ Present _

'You look good Kono' Danny sets the coffees down on the counter and looks across at her. He's not lying. In truth she's not changed at all since the last time he saw year, just a couple of years ago but it's clear life on the mainland suits her.

'Not so bad yourself brah' They both know _she's_ lying. The way their lives have gone in such unexpected directions since that day 6 years ago bear witness to the impact such an event can have.

'You still don't lie very well do you Kono, hot shot detective and all'. They share a smile. 'How's David and the kids?'

She reaches for her purse and the photographs, careful not to pull out the wrong ones, she hands them over to Danny beaming proudly.

'They're great, really great' she stands behind Danny and gives a running commentary on each one. 'Megan has just started to walk and Steven is just about letting us sleep through the night now'.

'A guy called Steven not letting you get a moment's rest, who would imagine such a thing?' As he says it the smile Kono gives him is a small sad one.

'They look great Kono, told you it would work out'.

'I miss the sea and the surf, most of all I miss you and Chin and.. .' her voice tails off. There's no need for further words.

Luckily they're saved by a further knocking on the door. Kono goes to open it, they know who this will be and she almost flattens Chin with the force of her hug.

'CUZ!' She kisses him and then holds him at arms length taking him in. 'You look so good'.

'She's right Chin, you do'. The hug that Danny and Chin share isn't quite as vigorous but the emotions are there alright. 'Maybe I should head back to the mainland after all' Even as he says he knows it's not true and it'd never happen. Not now.

'You should brah, or at least come visit like you promised Malia 2 years ago'. Chin's stern look is failed by the concern in his eyes. 'You look tired Danny, how's HPD treating you and more importantly how's Gracie?'.

Danny turns away from them both and heads to the kitchenette to make a drink gesturing towards the coffee maker to which they both nod, he sighs a little. 'HPD is okay' As he sees their eyebrows go upwards he remembers he could never get anything past Chin. 'It's not the same, there's only one reason I'm staying and you know why but there's little point there anymore and as for Gracie, she's a full blown teenager and I'll probably see her less than I do now' He wonders at what point in the recent past he began to sound so tired and bitter. 'I'm great though, I live in this shitty little apartment on this shitty little island and all without some of the most important people in my life around me anymore who've had the good sense to leave or disappear off the face of the earth and yet here I am'.

He reaches for the spoon and the coffee granules but the shaking in his hands has got worse in recent months, no wonder with all the caffeine, alcohol and sleepless nights but this time it betrays him and he knocks the side of one of the coffee cups and it's only the swift razor sharp reflexes of Chin that prevent the inevitable crash onto the ground.

'They say he's dead y'know, they say there's no way he can alive after all this time and not a peep out of him, well they don't know him like we do, right?' Even he can hear the pleading in his voice and it's pathetic really.

It's the look in their eyes that reminds him too much of everyone in HPD. A little bit of pity and concern all melded into one.

They steer him to the couch. Kono sits next to him and Chin opposite on the coffee table. 'I used to talk to him every day convinced he could hear me' Kono lets out a sad little laugh. 'He used to talk back to me too, or at least I'd talk back to myself in Steve mode, he was the one that pushed me to go to the mainland and not to stall my life for him anymore, that was 2 and half years ago when David got the job in Chicago and I had the choice to raise Megan with him or not, that day when he convinced me that was the last time I heard him in my head, and you know something I miss him so much' Danny looks up from the stain on the floor he's been staring at seeing the tears and he's dimly aware as Chin reaches across to hold her hand. She continues 'Every day I will him to come back to me to hear his voice but I don't and that's why I think he's not here anymore and I feel so awful saying that and that's why I didn't come back these last two years'.

Chin squeezes her hand as he begins to talk 'I don't know what I think anymore, all I know is that the thought of him alive scares me as much as it does him being dead, 6 years of god knows what's happened to him, best case scenario if he's alive? He's lost his memory and wouldn't remember us anyway, worst case scenario he remembers us constantly and he's tortured by the fact that Kono and I at least have given up on him whereas..' Chin pauses 'well you brah seem to have given up on everything'. His expression is wary and he whispers a gentle 'sorry' as Kono digs him in the ribs and glares at him.

There's silence for what seems to Chin and Kono like forever but is actually only a couple of minutes. Danny's torn between throwing them out the apartment for voicing his own fears, not just for Steve but for the truth about himself and just acknowledging finally what he's known for so long.

So he does the next best thing and crumbles. In a distant part of his mind, he reminds himself somewhere of Gracie when she was small and inconsolable and completely incoherent.

After this he loses track of time, and is aware only of the sound of Chin and Kono's voices in the background and the unfamiliar smell of non-takeout food which Kono coaxes him gently into eating just as if he were baby Steven.

It's as he finishes the last mouthful of food that he begins to feel something like normal again, whether it's the old normal, he's doubtful but small steps…the first sign of this comes from one simple statement. 'I'm going to get a shower and then I'm going to call my daughter'.

The smiles that greet this statement show him more than anything how far he's fallen. If they're right about Steve, he owes it to him to get busy living.

They make their excuses at that point sensing the need for Danny to be alone.

'We'll see you tomorrow at the usual place, right?' Kono kisses him and Chin clasps his hand. He nods 'You will, mahalo you guys' They both wave in acknowledgment as they leave Danny to begin again.

_ 3 years earlier _

Nothing has changed , aside from the fact that in 3 years of someone not living in their home you'd expect there to be some dust gathering. They've all taken care of that over the years, each taking it in turns to keep the place exactly how Steve left it. The only change is the picture of the four of them on that last night in a frame in the living room. Only in the last few months have they stopped stocking his fridge with fruit and vegetables and all the staples Steve loves so much.

It's only them however that seem to view Steve at the forefront of their minds, for almost 2 years he was a daily topic of conversation in every HPD briefing and roll call, there were updates such as they could ever be with no clues in the newspapers of Hawaii for 2 years too and then as though the switch was turned off, so too was the interest.

2 years of frantic arrests, of tracking down Wo Fat with no result, interrogating the guys that almost killed Steve and that he'd testified against, countless times in prison and still no clue. Apart from the blood which was part Steve, part cow's blood there was nothing to say he'd ever been here on this earth.

And so on the 3rd anniversary of his disappearance, Kono, Danny and Chin had lovingly prepared a Barbeque to remember their friend and in some vain hope that it would bring him back to them.

Danny sensed though that even Chin and Kono were fading away in terms of their interest, which was probably too harsh but Kono was in love with a guy from the mainland and Chin and Malia were trying for a baby. Life was moving on for them whereas his was seemingly still at the same point it was 3 years ago, except without Steve and worse still, his relationship with Gracie had fragmented.

Dinner was more muted than in previous years, less optimistic and Danny knew somewhere in his head that the Ohana would never be the same again. Nothing had to be said as he said goodbye to Chin and Kono that evening and walked onto the lanai looking out at the sea asking again 'Where are you Steve' he didn't know when they'd be back here again.

* * *

_It's a beautiful day as Danny drives towards the house and he feels good. Of course this takes him back to that day 6 years before, not that long ago really but it feels it._

_He pulls up outside noticing a hire car parked there. He smiles as he knocks on the door to alert of his appearance and the smell that greets him is just wonderful._

' _Hey, what are you cooking? He shouts. 'As if I didn't know'._

_There's no response as he moves towards the kitchen but he catches a smell of something else, something he instantly recognises from a long time ago and his breath catches in his throat as he moves to the kitchen and he's there, larger than life and yet even more glorious and he's grinning._

' _Your favourite, Danno' And god he's falling but he saves himself and he moves to envelop him in his arms.._

'What the hell!' he wakes up startled. Shaken to the core, that's the first time he's dreamt of him and it felt so real. He pulls his hands through his hair and rubs his face.

He glances at the clock on his radio alarm and curses, he's already late. So he scrambles for the jeans, and the shiny shoes. A ritual they'd stuck by for 3 years, exactly the same clothes, not the same venue sadly, that place shut down 18 months after Steve disappeared. He combs back his hair and heads for the door. In his jacket pocket from yesterday, his cell rings for the 12th missed call of the day.

The drive takes longer than expected due to a crash on one of the roads not far from Steve's place so he parks hurriedly taking note of the two cars parked in the driveway. He can smell barbeque smell and laughter. This place has missed the laughter.

He shouts as he comes through the door and Chin waves at him from the lanaI. 'Kono's in the kitchen' .

Danny nods and smiles and heads to help Kono.

'Hey Kono' she looks up at him taking in his appearance and chuckles slightly 'Boss would be highly approving of the fact we get into the same clothes after 6 years wouldn't he?'

'And ever so slightly aggrieved that my taste hasn't improved' he responds and they both laugh.

He helps her to the lanai with the salad and the bread rolls and they sit drinking wine.

Several hours pass and it feels like minutes, Danny's aware that soon this day'll be over and it'll be back to how it was before, only not how it's been for this last couple of years, just how it was in the time just after Steve left them all. A great place with great friends just one major piece of the jigsaw gone but never forgotten.

It's Kono's magic superhearing that hears another car pull up outside and ever wary, Danny heads for the gun cabinet in the study of Steve's house pulling one each out for them when a long since heard yet familiar voice says 'I really hope you don't intend to use them all on me at the same time'.

'CAT!' Chin exclaims 'Catherine Rollins?'. She's 6 years older alright and it shows but she looks good and she looks happy.

'I was told you'd all be here, from a very reliable source' She hesitates 'He sends his regards, he misses his Ohana, he'll be back soon' Aware of the shock on their faces, she passes an envelope to Danny's hands. 'I'll be on the lanai'.

Danny can barely believe the implications and yet he's so desperate to believe, his hand tremble again for the second time in two days as he opens it and as one they take one last deep breath…


	2. The return part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in the envelope? What's in the future?

It's a hell of a lot more difficult opening something as simple as an envelope when your hands are trembling. What should take a second or so takes almost twenty.

He can feel the tension from Chin and Kono. God knows what the envelope's about to reveal. Just hurry up and open it then his mind tells him. I'm trying another part of his mind shouts back.

And then it's open and there are 3 items: Some paper with writing, a photograph and the other item, well it's so unexpected really but explains the weight of the envelope anyway. He sets the envelope with the object still inside down on the table next to him, then looks up at Chin and Kono, a questioning expression seeking reassurance, the kind of look his daughter used to give him when she was scared about something, they nod and so he unfolds the paper and the photograph falls to the floor.

He ignores it for now, too scared almost to pick it up for what it may show. The letter? He takes a hard deep breath and opens it. The intention in his head was to read the letter out loud but when he tries to, all speech has left him. He tries to read it to himself but the words are just blending into one, he shakes his head, tears are forming and just mutters 'I'm sorry' before sinking into the chair behind him.

He holds the letter out and Chin takes it from him. He swallows a little and scan reads it. Kono knows her cousin better than anyone but he's always had a brilliant poker face and there's no hint there. He simply hands her the letter and sits in the chair opposite Danny.

Kono reads it, scared at first, it's just two paragraphs but they're the most beautiful combination of words she's ever seen, she wants to skip round and do cartwheels, she doesn't want to cry, she just wants to run out across the Lanai down to the sea and shout out to whoever's listening to thank whoever listened hard enough to answer their prayers.

Instead, she bends to pick up the picture which is face down and it's only when she turns it over that the tears start to fall, she strokes the photograph for a moment then rubs at it not believing their luck. She sets it down on the middle of the table and takes the seat in between Danny and Chin.

Danny's looking away but Chin reaches across to the picture and picks it up.

'Thank god or whoever' is all he says as he pushes it toward Danny 'Take a look – go on'

So he does and his expression changes, he's about to smile and Chin and Kono look at each other grinning, when he tips the chair over and disappears upstairs. The distant sounds are unmistakeable.

'I'll go check on him' Chin heads up the stairs leaving Kono with the envelope she knows contains something but what?

She tips it up and a cell falls out, it has a post it on it with a few words: Speed Dial 1...please?

She shakes her head, laughing and from somewhere she finds the patience to wait just a few minutes. What's 5 minutes compared to 6 years after all?

* * *

'You okay, brah?' Chin's peering round the bathroom door just as Danny wipes his face on a towel and reaches for the toothbrush and toothpaste.

He nods then offers a shaky smile. 'I didn't just dream the last 15 minutes did I, Chin? Please tell me I didn't'.

'You didn't Danny, you were right, we gave up too easy and you knew all along'

'It's Super Seal, right? He's got magic powers' There's only one thing he wants to do but in the absence of the only person he wants to hug right now, he grabs well not the next best person cos that'd be Kono obviously but Chin and boy, do they hug it out? They sure do.

'Hey guys, get down here' Kono's voice. 'Please?'.

Kono's waiting at the bottom of the stairs, a cell in one hand, a post-it in the other and for the first time, Chin glances out the door and spots Catherine. They share a smile but she stays where she is.

Danny grabs the post-it from Kono's hand and passes it to Chin. They recognise the writing but fear picks a great time to get the better of them and no one does what they always said they'd do if this ever happened and just reach down the cell to grab him and hug him, instead they stare at the object in Kono's other hand. Eventually though she speaks.

'YOU should call him, Danny' And he looks between them both and Chin nods in agreement.

So he turns it on and he wonders what the hell he's going to say though he's practised it in his head for so long. He presses 1 and there's a breath as he reaches towards the green phone button and he lifts it to his ear and then, well apart from the sound of Gracie's first laugh and her first utterance of 'Dada' it's like the most beautiful aria to his ears, those two words.

'Steven? Babe, that you'

'Hey Danno'.

* * *

_6 MONTHS LATER_

Fairytale endings always seem so smooth without a ripple in the ocean or a bump in the road. Real life though? Well even the best surprises and the best endings aren't without their complications and so it takes a full 6 months to get to this point and even then nothing's certain, for so many reasons.

The initial euphoria died within minutes of the call and the recriminations began. Not against Steve, not really. Of all the things they could blame him for, this was the least.

So instead they lashed out at anyone and everyone they could that wasn't Steve. Relationships suffered yet more for a while. But as anger was met with reasoning which not even the most insane could argue with, it gave way to nothing but a sense of relief tinged with sheer sadness for the time they'd lost.

And so began the small steps, the first glimpse of his face for real by the wonder of Skype, the phone calls which started short but of late would last for hours, the promise that things would get back to how they were interspersed with the stark reality that they probably wouldn't.

And yet here they were, Chin, Kono and Danny plus Malia, David and a few children on a plane to a part of the world unfamiliar to them perhaps but a sanctuary to the one they'd missed for so long.

A couple of long bus rides later, an overnight stay and then a boat ride or two and they reach their destination, the excited happy chatter gives way to quiet nervous anticipation. 6 and a half years of waiting as they step off the boat at Long Beach just round the corner literally from Ko Phi Phi in Thailand and finally the end is within sight.

Danny helps Gracie from the boat taking in the way she so mirrors her mom in her looks as she grows older so fast and again he's reminded of what Steve's missed as little Steve chatters nonsense excitedly in his mother's arms and Chin gently helps Malia from the boat, the bump getting ever larger.

'You can let go now, Danno' teases Gracie as he grips her hand as they step onto the beach He looks across at her and so she smiles. 'No, it's fine, keep holding on' she says simply squeezing his hand.

They stand together, not sure where to go when there's a whistle from somewhere around them and it's Chin who sees him first and he's off and the hug lasts for at least a minute, he's followed by Kono who handing little Steve to his father, walks slowly up the beach at first then runs into Steve's arms and he can hear them laughing, as Kono moves away from Steve, he waits for Danny to move but he's frozen to the spot until a gentle shove on his back from who else but Grace sends him up the beach and to him.

He knows he'll cry if he's not careful so he focuses on what he does best. He stands several feet from Steve, looks him up and down and simply says 'You have no idea how glad I am to see you without your stupid polo tops on, you know that?'

Steve looks taken aback for a moment and Danny wants to slap himself while Kono and Chin look willing to do the job for him, until he recovers and says 'Nice slippers Danno, real nice'.

They stare at each other for a moment until Danny breaks first 'Come here you big idiot' and he's real and it's brilliant. There's so much to say but as he glimpses Catherine Rollins in the distance, he coughs and holds him at arms length for a moment, before touching his cheek and tapping it gently. 'Yeah you look ready to get married, you look good'.

Several hours later and Catherine is a Rollins no more, she won't let go of her man just yet and like everyone today, the moment she holds him, she can't stop touching him. She more than anyone, knows how close they came to a life forever without him.

There's no speeches, no grand meal, just a small cake and in a nod to Hawaii and just to annoy Danny, pineapples are everywhere.

As Catherine talks to David and Malia and just after the children are put to bed and a reluctant Gracie goes to read a bed time story, Steve gestures to them to follow him. So like always, they do.

* * *

They walk in silence for a few minutes, it just feels good to be the four together again until they reach the end of the beach, Steve looks up into the sky, it's dark now but with a glorious full moon shining on them and it's still gloriously warm, just like home but a million miles away from memories.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what you guys have been through this past 6 years'

At their surprised faces and murmurs of protests, he lifts his hand. 'Please, just listen, when they took me, I had a focus, even through the worst days and there were plenty of those, I always saw your faces and knew I just had to roll with the punches, the knives and whatever else they threw at me, but you guys, you had no idea, Jesus I had no real idea who it was till they found me and got me the hell out of there, but I had a goal to get out of there one day whether it was 1 year, 3 years, 20 years'

'Who took you Steve?' It's the obvious question but every time so far it's been avoided. 'Was it the Metzers?' These were the guys who Kono and Steve had testified against on the day he disappeared.

Steve shakes his head. 'No, nor Wo Fat who I'd have laid serious money on it being, nah some guy I'd upset when I was a Seal in Iraq years ago, just your everyday psychopath who counted Saddam Hussein's sons as old friends, a guy with a passion for torture who just happened to follow my career and apparently tried to arrange my murder when I was in hospital but when that failed, he came to Hawaii himself and took me that night, it took the Navy 5 years to find me and by then he was long gone, they'd sold me onto some guys who have a passion for taking the head off their victims, only they forgot to post the video on You tube and pretty much forgot about me, they didn't even put up much of a fight when they came to get me out of there, I was that worthless to them by then'. He lets out a bitter laugh.

'Now, well now I can't sleep in a bed at the moment, I sleep on the floor cos I get skin allergies from the sheets and I panic when the sheets are near me, remnants of the early days when they'd smother me until I was unconscious with pillows until I woke and then they'd do it again, and well Cat's taken on the role of chief counsellor and all I want is to come back to Hawaii but I keep having panic attacks the moment I step near a crowd'

'S-Steve' Kono whispers and moves next to him, he feels her warmth and the comfort it brings.

'Look at you all, Kono – hugely successful mainland cop with a husband and two kids, Chin, a baby on the way and Danno, you've moved onto slippers and shorts' They laugh, the tension easing.

'Listen babe, you may be a zillion years away from us right now, but you ever _ever_ need us, we're only one flight, two hellish bus rides and a boat with no roof on it away from you so just yell, okay?'

He nods. 'Thanks Danny, but right now I just want to get back to my wife, drink some alcohol that will give us huge headaches in the morning and laugh a little, you all game?' They all nod. 'Sounds good' Chin says and they all stand up.

'Just one last thing, if I ever get back to Hawaii, if I recover enough, is there any chance for Five-0?'

'Try keeping us away, brah' Kono puts her hand forward.

'Always, always' Chin places his hand on top.

'Babe, I'll even let you drive my girl without complaining' And that third hand is joined by a fourth and for a moment, it's fine to believe against all odds of probability.

As they move up the beach towards the camp fire and the hopes for their future, there's just one more thing to say 'I sure hope you packed those shiny jeans and shoes Danno'

'Shut up Steven' And the laughter spreads across the beach and out into open sea sending ripples in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Danny didn't get a girl. I thought about it but it seemed a bit contrived. I was considering the letter and the content but it didn't feel right including it for some reason. And I hope the content about Steve's ordeal wasn't too bonkers or incredulous or too light on the detail.
> 
> Also slippers or flip flops – google was having a little argument with itself on what they're commonly known as in Hawaii. Sorry if the first couple of answers led me down the wrong path.
> 
> Thanks for reading. x


End file.
